Extreme Events, Decentralization and the Number of Parties

David Lublin
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David Lublin: Department of Government, American University

International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU from International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University

Abstract: An examination of elections in regions in nine western democracies reveals that widespread crises like the Great Recession and COVID-19 spurred increases in the number of parties, but Brexit decreased the number of parties in the United Kingdom. The relationship between the two broad-based crises and the number of parties was mediated strongly by decentralization. Though self-rule mitigated increases in the number of parties, shared rule exacerbated them. Decentralization is most strongly linked to the number of parties in minority regions, so the lack of self-rule or high levels of shared rule may prove more destabilizing to the party system in multiethnic countries. In contrast, though strongly related to the number of parties more generally, more permissive electoral systems do not substantially alter increases in the number of parties associated with crises.

Pages: 34 pages
Date: 2023-01
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ays:ispwps:paper2306

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